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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051703">best gift ever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anavkour/pseuds/anavkour'>anavkour</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Kind of canon compliant?, M/M, No plot just fluff, Post Timeskip, birthday fic, first hq fic aaah, here's some soft krkn, i can't stop writing soft krkn so, it's present day but i'm ignoring the pandemic, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:08:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anavkour/pseuds/anavkour</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“wanna watch the sun rise with me, then?” kuroo’s awake much earlier than kenma is most days, so sunrise-watching is part of his routine. the idea of waking up before the sun on purpose gives kenma a headache, so kuroo’s usually alone in his endeavour. “i can tell you it’ll be at least forty percent prettier with you out there.”</p><p>“you’re such a romantic,” kenma grumbles, but he gets up. kuroo beams.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>best gift ever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>who just wrote an impulse fic in less than 12 hours? certainly not me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>kenma’s had the same nightmare for three days now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>it starts out in the gym of his high school. the net is behind him, still up even though it’s the middle of the night and no one else is there except for him and kuroo several feet in front of him. kuroo’s back is always turned, and he looks straight ahead, shoulders back and spine straight. he’s older, dressed in a suit, whereas kenma’s sixteen again and wearing his sweat-sticky volleyball uniform. he can’t read the number on his jersey, doesn’t know if it’s a twelve, a five, or a one. when kenma takes a step forward, kuroo steps closer to the door. he keeps trying, but he can’t close the gap unless he starts to run, and even at full tilt, much faster than he could run in the real world, he can’t match kuroo’s pace. he reaches out to touch him, grab his arm, tell him to wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>every time, his hand passes right through. every time, the touch makes kuroo’s form explode into dust. every time, kenma wakes up drenched in a cold sweat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>this time, he’s gasping, sitting up, panic thrumming in the palms of his hands and somewhere between his shoulder blades. he reaches up, tugs at the neckline of his shirt, doesn’t know if he needs it away from his throat or just wants something to hold on to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>he tucks his head to his knees and breathes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>inhale, count to five, exhale.</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s gotten better at this over the years, but sometimes he still feels like he’s floundering in his own head. he digs his fingernails into his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>come on, you can do this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reminds himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>it was just a dream. inhale, count to five, exhale. </span>
  </em>
  <span>there are tears in his eyes; he scrubs his face into the comforter to wipe them away. </span>
  <em>
    <span>inhale, count to five, exhale.</span>
  </em>
  <span> his head’s spinning, and the sensation in his hands is getting painful. </span>
  <em>
    <span>focus. inhale, count to five, exhale. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>it takes a few cycles for it to start working, and another few for him to feel he’s calmed down enough he no longer needs to count breaths. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>then the bed shifts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>his heart leaps back into his throat, and at the brush of a hand against his shoulder, he jerks away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“whoa, whoa, it’s just me,” the voice is groggy, but instantly recognizable. kenma leans in the other direction, towards it, and then kuroo’s hands knead at his shoulders. it’s dumb that he forgot kuroo was there next to him, especially since he’s been there next to him every night for the past few years, but he’d been too scattered to think about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” kuroo continues. “nightmare again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma nods. he’s not sure kuroo can see him in the dark, so he says, “yeah.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“same one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“yeah.” he’d woken kuroo up the first night it happened, frantic, trying to make sure he was still there. looking back on it, it’s kind of dumb, but he’d been terrified in the moment, the veil between dream and reality still thin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“c’mere,” kuroo taps his shoulder. kenma scoots closer. kuroo drapes himself over kenma’s back, chin resting on top of his head, arms snug around his waist. he’s heavy, but the weight and warmth are soothing. kenma sighs and leans into him. “i’m right here,” kuroo pulls kenma’s hand away from where it’s knotted up in his shirt, smooths the tension out of it with his thumb. “i’m not going anywhere. promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma doesn’t know how to reply, whether to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>i know</span>
  </em>
  <span> or </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. he settles for neither, squeezes kuroo’s hand instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>whatever fear behind the dream is irrational; kenma knows kuroo isn’t leaving. if anything, this is a fear he would’ve had years ago, when kuroo was about to graduate. that’s probably why it was in the gym.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“your hair’s still up,” kuroo murmurs, leaning away momentarily to tug kenma’s hair tie loose. it’s still wet where it was bunched together; kenma has a bad habit of putting it up immediately after a shower. kuroo runs his hands through it, pulling the tangles out gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>it still doesn’t make sense that he’d be having the dream now, though. he’s lived with kuroo since he started university, through two apartments and now this rental house. kuroo’s never indicated that he wants to leave, and neither has kenma. the only time they’ve really spent apart is when kuroo goes out on business trips—</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>that’s what it is. he's got a trip coming up. kenma will be alone for two weeks while kuroo goes overseas for a conference. it’s not the longest they’ve been apart, but it’s definitely the farthest. california is a giant ocean and sixteen time zones away. kenma doesn’t want to seem clingy, but the thought of kuroo being so far away for so long is making him ache a bit.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“hey,” kuroo mumbles. “you’re getting stuck in your head again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“sorry,” kenma ducks his head. kuroo </span>
  <em>
    <span>tsk</span>
  </em>
  <span>s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“no need to apologise,” he kisses the back of kenma’s head. “you going back to sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“no,” he’s still tired, but he doesn’t want the dream to come back, doesn’t think he can go through that twice in a day. “can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“wanna watch the sun rise with me, then?” kuroo’s awake much earlier than kenma is most days, so sunrise-watching is part of his routine. the idea of waking up before the sun on purpose gives kenma a headache, so kuroo’s usually alone in his endeavour. “i can tell you it’ll be at least forty percent prettier with you out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re such a romantic,” kenma grumbles, but he gets up. kuroo beams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>the morning air is chilly, and kenma’s glad he snagged one of kuroo’s too-big jackets on the way out, given he’s still slightly damp. kuroo, however, has never been fazed by the cold, evidenced now by the fact that he doesn’t bother to put on a shirt before going outside. they sit on the steps leading to the yard, kenma nestled between kuroo’s legs on the stairstep below him. from here, kenma can just barely see the horizon, flaring orange like it’s burning. the peachy undersides of the clouds are softer, look painted on the grey-blue of the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“pretty, huh?” kuroo muses. kenma nods. “it’s not–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“not as pretty as me,” kenma deadpans. kuroo mock-gasps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you read my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma snorts. “you’re predictable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“am not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“are too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“am not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“are too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kuroo sticks out his tongue. kenma smirks at him and looks back out at the sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“happy birthday, by the way,” kuroo says. he’s still playing with kenma’s hair. the longer it grew, the more kuroo had his hands in it, and the more he complained when kenma mentioned wanting to cut it. he vaguely remembers hearing of an argument between kuroo and yaku—kuroo said he liked girls with long hair, yaku preferred girls with short hair. it’s funny to look back on now, given who they’re dating. [lev hadn’t shut up about it for three months. kenma almost blocked him.]</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“oh,” kenma checks the date on his phone. october 16th. right. that’s today. he already has over a thousand twitter notifications; the first one he can see reads </span>
  <em>
    <span>hbd @kodzuken!!! </span>
  </em>
  <span>and trails off into emoji confetti. “thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re getting old,” kuroo teases. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“catching up to you,” kenma ribs him right back. kuroo makes an offended noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you calling me old?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’ve talked like a seventy-year old man since high school. if anyone’s old, it’s you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“am not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you called all the first years ‘those kids’ when you were captain, and lev was taller than you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> kids!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“old man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“hey, don’t speak that way about your elders,” kuroo pokes the back of his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“an elder at the ripe age of twenty-five.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“twenty-five,” kuroo echoes. “damn. that means we’ve been dating for ten years now, right? ten years exactly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“yeah. still can’t believe you asked me out for my birthday.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“i can’t either,” kuroo admits. “i can’t believe you said yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>he remembers it vividly—kuroo had tried desperately to be cool about it, but kenma could see just how nervous he was under his cocky veneer. he didn’t think either of them were out yet either [kenma thinks he may not have even been out to himself yet]; it was a complete shot in the dark. he remembers being struck by how brave kuroo was, and how much he admired that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“i think it was more of an ‘okay.’” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“yeah, you’re right.” kuroo laughs. “best birthday gift ever, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“dunno, i really like the sweaters shouyou sends me every year.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you are a sucker for soft things,” kuroo twists a strand of kenma’s hair around his finger. “your love language is blankets or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re not wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“my soft thing loves soft things,” kuroo coos. kenma swats at him, but there’s no force behind it. kuroo laughs again, catches his hand and holds it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“in all seriousness,” kenma shifts so he can see kuroo better. “i think my favourite gift was when you came to surprise me when i was a third year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ah, yeah,” kuroo gets a wistful look in his eyes. “though you’ve gotta give the whole team credit. it was lev’s idea to put me in that box.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“of course it was.” kenma had arrived at the gym that afternoon to see the entire team standing around a giant, poorly-wrapped gift box, trying to look innocent. when he’d gone to unwrap it, kuroo had jumped and burst through the paper. kenma punched him in the face on reflex. he’d felt horrible about it later, but in the moment he was pissed that a) kuroo had scared him, and b) they put kuroo in a box without ventilation holes. he thinks he might still have the full video fukunaga took somewhere on his computer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“was it your favourite because you got to hit me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“no,” kenma rolls his eyes. he pauses for a second, then admits, “it was my favourite because it was the only thing i wanted that year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“what, me in a box?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“no, just...you, there, on my birthday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“awww, kenmaaaa–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“don’t,” kenma warns. kuroo ignores him, sweeps him up in a tight hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“kenma, you’re such a sap!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you have no room to talk,” kenma wheezes. kuroo loosens his grip, sets kenma down in his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re right,” he says, suddenly serious. kenma squints at him. “what if i told you i had something even better for you this year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma raises an eyebrow. “really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“yeah,” kuroo gives him a cheeky grin. “marry me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma blinks, and then says, completely reflexively: </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kuroo’s grin softens. “always in character, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kenma’s heart drops. “i–i mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” now he’s worried he sounded insincere, or reluctant. “yes, i’ll marry you, i–i want to marry you, that wasn’t–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>kuroo cuts him off with a kiss. he tastes like the bitter coffee he’d chugged before they went outside, and slightly of cherry—chapstick, probably. his face is cold on the surface, but it warms quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>the kiss doesn’t last long, mostly because kuroo’s smiling too much to continue. he rests his forehead against kenma’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“i love you,” he breathes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“dork,” kenma murmurs, cupping his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“your dork though,” kuroo winks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re shivering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“i’m excited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“you’re also not wearing a shirt, and it’s only fifteen degrees.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“irrelevant,” kuroo shakes his head. kenma rolls his eyes and kisses him again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>they miss the sunrise, but kenma can’t get enough of how the light paints kuroo’s face. maybe getting up early is worth it, at least until kuroo’s trip. he wants more of this, more of quiet mornings and kuroo practically glowing next to him. and if that makes him just as bad of a romantic as kuroo, well, he’ll deal with it. he is getting older, after all, and older people sit around and reminisce about things. he’ll have to invest in a rocking chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“so,” kuroo says, when they’re both out of breath. “wanna go pick out rings?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kozume kenma ✅ | @kodzuken</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>16 Oct 2020 11:00</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>[image]</span>
</p><p>
  <span>best birthday gift ever. ily ❤️</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>#1 kenma stan </span>
  </em>
  <span>| </span>
  <em>
    <span>@kodzues</span>
  </em>
  <span>_</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>10m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>OMGGG</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kodzuken’s left knee </span>
  </em>
  <span>| </span>
  <em>
    <span>@kenmasimp</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>8m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>IS THAT A RING??? ARE YOU ENGAGED??? WHOSE HAND IS THAT???</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kodzuken’s left knee </span>
  </em>
  <span>| </span>
  <em>
    <span>@kenmasimp</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>WAS HE DATING SOMEONE???? DID I MISS SOMETHING???????</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>#1 kenma stan | @kodzues_</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>@kodzuken WHOSE HAND IS THAT</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>it is wednesday my dudes</span>
  </em>
  <span> | </span>
  <em>
    <span>@deleted_caroline</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>to those of you wondering when he got a gf that’s not a girl’s hand lol</span>
</p><p>
  <span>anyway @kodzuken say gay rights</span>
</p><p>
  <span>|</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kozume kenma </span>
  </em>
  <span>✅</span>
  <em>
    <span> | @kodzuken</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>1m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>@deleted_caroline gay rights</span>
</p><p>
  <span>|</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>it is wednesday my dudes</span>
  </em>
  <span> | </span>
  <em>
    <span>@deleted_caroline</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>1m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>oh my god</span>
</p><p> </p><p><em><span>Hinata Shouyou</span></em><span> ✅</span> <span>| </span><em><span>@thegreatestdecoy</span></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&gt;:00000000!!!!! CONGRATS @kodzuken @kurokuro!!!!!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENMA!!!!! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>B O K U T O ✅ | @bokotarou</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>7m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>YOOOOOOOOO YOU FINALLY DID IT @kurokuro @kodzuken can i be best man at your wedding??????</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kuroo tetsurou </span>
  </em>
  <span>| </span>
  <em>
    <span>@kurokuro</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>5m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>@kodzuken aww ily2 ❤️</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>kodzuken’s left knee </span>
  </em>
  <span>| </span>
  <em>
    <span>@kenmasimp</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>2m</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>WAIT WHO IS KUROO</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is the fastest i've ever written a complete fic! deadlines are helpful. </p><p>comments and kudos give me motivation! so at the risk of sounding like a youtuber: don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe!</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://anavkour.tumblr.com">come say hi on tumblr!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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